I woke up early on rainy Saturday morning and packed my backpack with some essentials. I looked for a tricycle that could take me to the hanging bridge. I found one and negotiated the fare. The driver agreed to take me for 150 pesos. He said that it would take about 20 minutes to get there.
We arrived at the bridge around 9:30 am. Well, it is still the same hanging bridge I crossed about 3 years ago - a short and narrow structure made of wooden planks and steel cable. It still looked sturdy but shaky. A man on a motorcycle was looking at me at the opposite side of the bridge. He seemed to expect me to cross the slender span first, but I gestured for him to go ahead. The bridge creaked and swayed under the movement of the motorcycle.
And then its my turn to cross the bridge. As usual, it swayed and creaked as I walked on it. I looked down and saw the river below me. It was clear and calm, reflecting the blue sky and the green trees.
I reached the other end of the bridge and stepped on solid ground. I followed a steep and narrow concrete road that led me back to Sitio Kanawan.
A resident told me that they have a new leader and guided me to her house. I knocked on the door and greeted her. She was a lady in her 50's with a friendly smile. I remembered her from three years ago, when I had visited Sitio Kanawan with a colleague.
I told her that I wanted to see the Kairukan Falls and asked him for permission to enter his land. She said that he was happy to let me go, but she also warned me that the route was not easy.
The terrain was steep and overgrown with vegetation. There might be hunters’ trails that I could follow, but they were often confusing and they might lead me to places I did not want to go.Â
I expressed my hope that my previous companion in the Mount Silanganan summit expedition, Nelson Quitain, could accompany me once more to the Kairukan Falls.
She said that Nelson lived in a small hut about twenty minutes away from the village. He said that I could find him there and ask him to accompany me to the falls. He gave me some directions and wished me a good journey.
I left Sitio Kanawan, an indigenous community where the trail began, and followed a footpath that led me to Nelson’s hut. The footpath was narrow and winding, sometimes crossing streams and rocks. It was surrounded by dense forest.
I was eager to see Nelson again, my former companion in the Mount Silanganan summit expedition. I hoped that he would agree to accompany me to the falls, as I had heard that the path was steep and overgrown with vegetation. I also wanted to catch up with him and see how he was doing.
After almost twenty minutes, I finally reached a solitary hut that stood in a clearing. It was a simple structure made of bamboo and nipa. It had a door, a window, and a roof. I called Nelson’s name and knocked on the door. I heard some movement inside and then the door opened. There he was, Nelson Quitain, my old friend. He smiled and greeted me warmly. I was happy to see him again after three years.
Nelson was kind enough to agree to accompany me to the Kairukan Falls. But before we left, I asked Nelson to bring a sharper machete this time. I reminded him of our last adventure together, when we explored Mount Silanganan three years ago. He had brought a very dull machete that could barely cut through the vegetation. We had struggled a lot to clear our way and we had wasted a lot of time and energy. He laughed and said that he remembered that. He said that he had learned his lesson and that he had a new and sharper machete now.
A sharp machete is an explorer's best friend when travelling through a dense forest.
We packed our bags with some essentials and headed out to the wilderness. The trail was gentle at the start, crossing a few narrow and shallow streams. The water was clear and refreshing. As we go deeper in to the wilderness, the trail can barely be seen. We had to use our machetes to cut some branches and vines that blocked our way. Many sections were covered with vegetation completely. We had to push our way through the bushes and grasses. I heard the howls of animals in the trees. The forest is full of wildlife.
Then the terrain became steeper. The air was hot and humid. I sweated profusely. But Nelson did not break a sweat. I had to tell Nelson to stop every now and then to catch my breath and drink some water.
As soon as we started to go downhill, we stumbled upon a wild boars’ trail. It was a wide and clear path that cut through the vegetation. It looked like it had been used by many boars over time. I saw a lot of boar footprints on the ground and they were huge. They looked like they belonged to big and powerful animals. Nelson was wary. He said that the wild pigs might be near and that they could be aggressive if they were with their young.
We treaded carefully and followed the trail made by the boars. We kept our eyes and ears open for any movement or noise. We held our machetes tightly in case we had to defend ourselves.
